Greenpeace has ranked 20 major U.S. grocery retailers based on their efforts to reduce their reliance on plastics and tackle the pollution crisis. Every minute, the equivalent of a truckload of plastic enters the oceans. That plastic can kill whales, seabirds, turtles and fish. It is overwhelming communities, impacting human health and fueling the climate crisis.
Like Greenpeace’s first ranking, which took place in 2019, all of the supermarkets that they assessed received failing scores. The list is as follows:
1. Giant Eagle (34.88/100)
2. ALDI (30.61/100)
3. Sprouts Farmers Market (25.83/100)
4. The Kroger Co. (24.06/100)
5. Albertsons Companies (21.85/100)
6. Costco (20.53/100)
7. Walmart (18.10/100)
8. Ahold Delhaize (16.78/100)
9. Wegmans (15.45/100)
10. Whole Foods Market (15.23/100)
11. Southeastern Grocers (14.79/100)
12. Target (14.35/100)
13. Trader Joe’s (14.32/100)
14. Meijer (13.69/100)
15. Publix (12.36/100)
16. Hy-Vee (11.48/100)
17. The Save Mart Companies (7.06/100)
18. Wakefern (4.19/100)
19. WinCo Foods (2.65/100)
20. H-E-B (1.55/100)
Greenpeace stated that, following initial progress after the 2019 ranking, U.S. grocery retailers largely deprioritized sustainability, including plastic pollution, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization stated, “many retailers fell prey to plastics industry propaganda and discontinued bans on single-use plastic checkout bags, delayed implementation of reuse initiatives, and struggled to maintain momentum on sustainability initiatives as corporate priorities shifted to keeping shelves stocked and responding to the public health risks of the pandemic. However, several U.S. retailers, including top-ranked Giant Eagle, are beginning to restart reduction initiatives that were paused when the pandemic spread to the U.S.”
Greenpeace demanded the following from U.S. grocery retailers:
Immediate removal of unnecessary throwaway packaging, commitment to eliminate single-use plastics and transition to reuse, refill and package-free alternatives.
Reinstated bans on plastic checkout bags and permit reusable bags in stores.
Prioritization of reduction and reuse over recycling, and elimination of unrecyclable plastics.
Correction of misleading labels claiming that packaging is recyclable when it is more likely to end up in a landfill or incinerator.
A show of leadership through the embrace of federal legislation like the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act and support of a strong, ambitious global plastics treaty.
For more information, visit www.greenpeace.org.
